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Christmas and New Year in Zagreb

Advent Walks through Zagreb!

Book our tours to discover Zagreb and its Christmas and New Year traditions! The Food Tour, the Culture and History Tour or mix the two and do a Culture and History tour with three tastings along the way!

The two tours together cost 450 Kunas for a minimum of two people, or 250 Kunas per person for 3 or more.

All walks are available in English, French and Russian

Book your tours at info@bestofzagreb.com

Easy & Simple Zagreb Food Tour

Zagreb, Croatia

If you are in Zagreb or just traveling through, be sure to book this tour to taste the flavors of our culture ! Sometimes tastes and smells tell you more than words! But there will also be a story about Croatian culture.

This tour as described below is best done between 9 am and 2 pm, and cannot be booked on public holidays. If you are curious about the food culture but cannot do the tour in the morning or you visit our city on public holidays, contact us by mail and we will create a special offer!

Book this tour by e-mail: info (at) bestofzagreb.com or through the contact form below.

Check out our Trip Advisor Ratings on Best of Zagreb Tours – Day Tours – Central and South – East Europe. For a description and prices, please scroll down.

This tour is not about fast food. It is an easy and simple way of knowing a new culture through the ingredients we can see, smell and taste on our farmer’s market and around. This tour should start before noon. Because all food stories of Zagreb start at the central farmer’s market – the Dolac. The best days to do the tour are from Wednesday until Saturday.

By visiting the Dolac market, you can feel and experience the Croatian culture: how do we behave on the farmers market? Are we loud? Or are we silent, disciplined and organized while buying goods? How different is the offer from your you know from home?

The location of the farmer’s market changed several times, but the way we buy our goods here in this part of Europe, does not change. If you are into it, we can give you a recipe for a traditional Zagreb meal, help you buy the ingredients on the market and then you can try to make them yourself in your apartment.

We will guide your through the tastings in Dolac market where you can see the traditional offer of Zagreb, and around the market where we will taste some local specialties. Prices:

1 person (solo) is 300 Kunas (around 40 EUR)

2- 5 people the price is 205 Kunas per person (around 27 EUR per person)

6 – 9 people the price is 180 Kunas per person (around 25 EUR per person)

Duration: around 2,5h to 3h

The price includes tastings on the farmer’s market, plus three tastings around the market.

For privately guided tours the price is 250 Kunas per person for a tour starting early enough to include the Dolac Market (400 for one person solo). For afternoon tours or extensions (very popular Food + Culture Tour!) please contact me by e-mail or through the contact form.

The program can vary depending on a season and on the day of the week. The Dolac farmer’s market is closed on holidays.

Zagreb around World War II

Zagreb around World War II tour gives answers to frequently asked questions about the ex-Yugoslavia. And there were two Yugoslavias in the 20th century. The first one before WWII and the second one after the war.

In between during the Second World War stands the short period of the Independent State of Croatia as the marionette country under the German, and partially Italian rule on the coast.

During the nineteen thirties Zagreb, the capital of Croatia was the industrial, business, financial and cultural center of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Zagreb was developing fast in those days especially to the east of the historical center where we can still see the result of the urban planning of that period.

By dimensions a small town but with high living standards and modern architecture of the Zagreb architectural school. The characteristics of that school is functionalism and it gave to this district a cold and hermetic look.

The political situation before the Second World War was tough in Croatia. The dictatorship of the Serbian political establishment provoked the discontent among the people of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Political parties were banned, sending them to illegal and underground activity.

Everyone felt that hard times are coming. It was obvious that Germanywas emerging as a military force without competition in Europeat the end of the nineteen thirties. Franceand United Kingdom were weak. People had a suspicious attitude towards Chamberlain’s politics to Hitler and kids were joking with Chamberlain’s name pronouncing it “J’aime Berlin” as describes prof. Flaker in his memoires.

In 1941, at the beginning of the war in Croatia Titowas still in Zagreb. Soon he had to leave, because every police officer knew his face. Do you know how he tried to cover up during his stays in Zagreb? Send us your answer to info@bestofzagreb.com and if you got it right, you will receive a small gift on your day of the tour!

Zagreb Walking Tours

Best of Zagreb’s walking and sightseeing tours for a real Zagreb experience

Zagreb, the capital of Croatia

Central Europe – Mediterranean Europe – South-East Europe

We organize privately guided tours daily on request and periodically we offer open group tours. Follow us through our website or social networks and book your sightseeing tour with us at info at bestofzagreb . com

Culture, History & Arts

Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, is a cultural and artistic center of the region. We love to stroll the old streets and courtyards of Gradec (the Upper Town), drink coffee or beer in Tkalciceva Street, buy the produce on farmer’s markets, chat with friends on the Flower Square and comment the recent cultural and social events. Take this guided culture & history walking tour and meet the city with your local guide. Depending on the day of your arrival and sightseeingwe can make some changes to the itinerary.

The Upper Town has seven museums, all very popular among the citizens of Zagreb and all top museums in their fields.

We recommend to visit The Atelier Mestrovic. The artist’s family house is the location of his museum, a charming place in Mletacka St.

The Museum of Naive Art with colorful canvases stands beside the Greek-catholic church.

Few steps to the south, on the corner is the immensely popular Museum of Broken Relationships.

Next to the beautiful St. Catherine’s Church there is a Klovic Gallery – recently with extraordinary guest exhibitions!

Don’t miss the popular and beautiful spots in the Lower Town if you are into discovering art and culture:

the ModernGallery with a rich collection of Croatian artists throughout history,

the MimaraMuseum with a choice of top international classical art, and

the Home of the Croatian Association of Artist located in the Mestrovic Pavilion, few minutes walk from the Zrinjevac Park.

Outside the city center, an absolute must is the MSU or the Museum of Contemporary Art in New Zagreb.

This walking tour lasts 2-2,5 hours. On request we can include a visit of one museum or gallery and a short coffee break in one of the charming cafes of the historical center or a wine tasting.

13th century Stone Gate, the entrance to Gradec, the Upper Town

Sightseeing and tasting

The obligatory stop – if visiting before noon is of course the Dolac farmer’s market. The location of the farmer’s market changed several times, but the way we buy our goods here in this part of Europe, doesn’t change.If you are into it, we can give you a recipe for a traditional Zagreb meal, help you buy the ingredients on the Market and then you can try to make them yourself in your apartment.

By visiting the Dolac market you can also feel and experience the Croatian culture: how do we behave on the farmers market? Are we loud or disciplined and organized while buying goods?

A cup of coffee and a taste of some Zagreb specialtyor a realwine tasting, somewhere near the center? We are very proud of the quality of Croatian wines, cheese, olive oil..

This tour should be booked in advance, and predict at least three hours, or more. If the “tasting the specialties tour” is what interests you, please contact us at info (at) bestofzagreb . com

If you would like an organized tasting, please contact me for details.

Stairs around the Upper Town

Discovering Zagreb

How to discover a new destination? The best way to do it is by doing a guided tour – through your guide (a local) you can meet other locals on your way through Zagreb. Guided tours are very popular and we promote them because good information is hard to find. The dynamics of the tour can be arranged, whether you prefer to walk around (so you don’t miss the attractions) or to listen to the story of Zagreb.

Zumberak Mountain

Popular destinations around Zagreb – Žumberak

One of the most popular destinations among the citizens of Zagreb for one day – full day trip are the Žumberak-Samobor hills. The natural beauty of the hills and peaks like Okić (495 m) south of Samobor, Oštrc (753 m) and Japetić (871) are on regular itineraries of Zagrebian mountaineers. The central point of the region is a small town of Samobor. Now, the Samobor hills and Plesivica are populated enough, with well-known wine roads and tourist itineraries. We offer hear a discovery and a visit to the central part of the Žumberak Mountain filled with dense forests, hidden streams, little picturesque villages and family farms.

Žumberak Mountain is the central part of the Žumberak-Samobor hills.

Zumberak Mountain is one of the least populated areas in Croatia, with a constant emigration during the last one hundred years. But this is not the downside, this is actually its best comparative advantage! And although the emigration left the region nearly abandoned, the Žumberak Mountain with the Samobor hills and Plešivica are all three the most popular excursion destinations of the Zagrebians.

Here you can read a short presentation of the Žumberak Mountain written by the local resident, M. Goran Klanfar.

The massif of Žumberak follows the Croatian – Slovenian border. It’s located in the western part of central Croatia and belongs mostly to the Zagreb County. The biggest part of Žumberak massif consists of the Žumberak Mountain spreading 40 km NE-SW. In the North the steep slope ends in the Krka valley, in the South a mild slope ends in the Karlovačko pokuplje, in the East it descends in mild slopes to the Sava valley and in the West it passes into the Kočevska plateau. The highest peak of Žumberak Sv. Gera (1181 m) is in the West.

The massif of Žumberak has the characteristics of three different regions: sub-alpine, Pannonian and Mediterranean which is manifested in the flora, fauna and relief. From the geological point of view there are karst and alpine terrains.

Karst terrain is predominant in most part of the central Žumberak Mountain and is composed of carbonate rocks – the tufa rocks that was extracted from the streams to be used as a building material for houses and farm buildings. This was the most popular building material in the central Žumberak region between Sošice and Gornja Vas, and partially in the Samobor part of Žumberak Mountain.

The Alpine terrain is found in the northern part of Žumberak (Samobor part of the Žumberak massif) and its characteristic is the dolomite rocks and indented relief.

Archeological remains discovered in Žumberak indicate that there was a mining activity in the area (copper, iron, lead). Today the silica sand mining is predominant for the production of glass and building stone.

NATURE PARK ŽUMBERAK-SAMOBOR HILLS

Žumberak spreads through three climate regions: continental, alpine and Mediterranean. Those influences overlap so in Žumberak you can find plants from the Mediterranean area like oregano and St. John’s Wort, plants from the alpine area like thyme – the citrus variety which usually grows above 800 m above sea level in the Alps, and the plants typical for the continental Croatia: hellebore, snowdrop and 30 types of orchid.

PILASTER OR PILLAR – Saint’s Pillar

It’s not known when the pillar was built, but it’s probably from the 17th century when New Town of Žumberak (Novi Grad Žumberak) was built. The name “pilaster” just like the kaikavian dialect variety of the word – Pil (Croatian Zagorje, Međimurje) means the same thing – column – and in particular church column or saint’s column.

These types of constructions are linked to the Alps, Slovenia to Carinthia and East Tirol. The pillar in Žumberak is the easternmost object of the group of four-sided alpine pillars – tabernacle. There are three stories of the pillar: the first one tells us about building such monuments on important crossroads to mark the exact orientation to the north-east-west-south, the second story tells us that the pillars were built for protection against disease (plague, cholera) and against evil (statues, paintings-icons inside the pillars), but the origin of the pillar is not known – whether it’s profane or sacral. The third story tells us about the pillory which served to punish offenders during the Military Frontier in Croatia, allegedly four people were walled up alive in the pillar according to the legend that should be checked and proved.

The houses in Žumberak are built mostly in stone or wood, or the combination of both: the cellar in stone, and the living area in wood. Unfortunately not one house has been preserved with straw roof, but we can still see the clay rooster on the crest of the roof, a relic from the period of Turkish incursions when the Ottoman Empire exerted great influence on this region that was part of the Military Frontier until 1884. In nearly every old garden you can find, and even in some new ones, a lily – the symbol that beauty knows no hate or intolerance.

The road that leads through Žumberak today was built in the 18th century under the supervision of Nikolaus Ritter von Weymann (monument in Žamarije). They used a part of an old Roman road that went through Žumberak in the direction of Germania.

In Žumberak – the name for the mountain, for the municipality and for the village – there were two towns: Old town Gradina (Stari grad Gradina) and Sichelburg – Shumberk or Uskočka regiment, which was demolished in 1947. Only a part of the western wall was preserved.

In Žumberak two ceremonies are held in the Catholic Church: Roman Catholic or western ceremony and Greek Catholic or eastern ceremony. Or as said by the reverend Pajić: in Žumberak we breathe in both lungs.

During the 15th and the 16th century Žumberak was devastated to the point that today’s inhabitants of Žumberak are the descendants of immigrants. Every village has its specificities regarding the origin of its inhabitants and we can hear that in the diversity of dialects and languages: Bosnian, the sto-dialect, the “I” dialect of Croatian language.

Nearly every village in Žumberak has a sacral building: if it’s not the church then it’s a chapel, if there is not enough space for a chapel, then there is a simple crucifix.

The inhabitants of Žumberak are very introverted people, self-sufficient, but if the traveler gets stuck in Žumberak, help will be given in a second, and they will show their cordiality and hospitality instead of the highland harshness.

The central part of Žumberak is rich in water, the estimation is that there were around 150 mills, today only several are preserved, and the mill in Čunkova draga of the noble family Medven is a representative example of the construction of mills.

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Top attractions!

Discover Zagreb with your local guide!

This essential and short Zagreb walking tour will take you along the most important sights of Croatia’s capital like the Dolac famer’s market (until 1 pm), the oldest part of Zagreb on Kaptol hill, through the animated and gorgeous Tkalciceva street, the medieval Stone Gate and through the Upper Town. This is our recommendation if you do not have much time or just want to go through the itinerary quickly, not to get lost and not to miss important things

Duration 1-1,5 hours. Starts from the Ban Jelačić Square.

The visit of Dolac market is possible only until 1 pm.

The best way to discover Zagreb is by doing a guided tour.With the local guide you can meet other locals, get necessary information through Q&A and visit top sightseeing places on your way through Zagreb.

Zagreb guided tours are very popular and we promote them because good information is hard to find. The dynamics of the tour can be arranged, whether you prefer to walk around (so you don’t miss the attractions) or to listen to the story of Zagreb.

Zagreb cathedral

Zagreb Cathedral

The cathedral as you can see it today is a result of huge reconstruction works from late 19th and beginning of the 20th century. But this beautiful building stands on the site with a very layered past.

The construction works on this cathedral started in the 13th century.

Historical context

The cathedral stands on the spot where according to old documents the first bishopric was founded in 1094. by the Hungarian king. Don’t let this information confuse you. The Hungarian king Ladislav was travelling through Croatia, he was in fact conquering what he thought was his rightful inheritance after the death of the Croatian king Dmitar Zvonimir. This ancient history is very interesting. The laws of the church back then were saying that a bishopric can be founded only where a substantial number of people lived. So in a village or a small town a parish church and a priest would suffice. That’s why a generally accepted opinion is that there was a substantial settlement around the hill where the bishopric was founded, and also next to it, where the Dolac farmer’s market is located today. After the foundation of the bishopric the French Benedictine monks arrive with manuscript church books.

There are no written documents about these events, as after the first cathedral was built in the beginning of the 12th century, Croatia was hit by a Mongolian invasion at the beginning of the 13th century. And they destroyed everything that stood in their way, including the first cathedral.

Fearing for the treasuries the bishop with his staff saved himself, the treasuries and documents on the island of Rab on the Adriatic Coast. He left the treasures there after he returned to Zagreb thinking on going to get them back when the danger of new attacks passes. But historical events turned in such a way that Zagreb never got back those founding documents and treasuries. The island of Rab was occupied by the Venetians within a couple of years, and Rab and Zagreb found themselves in two different countries. The legends say that all the treasures were then transported to Venice, to Venetian archives. But some of our French visitors tell us then, that Napoleon then took and transferred many of Venetians oldest and greatest wealth to France. Our professors tell us to dig and search the old archives and second-hand bookstores wherever we are in the world. You never know where and when you can find something.

Here is a little more about this oldest, almost mythological period of Zagreb’s past. Once you get to the period when there are no written documents, what is left are legends and myths. There are many theories about the name of Zagreb, but one that is very popular among the monks in Kaptol and the cathedral is about an old monastery that was standing where the cathedral is today. It was the monastery with Italian monks dedicated to St. Gabriel, before the bishopric was founded, so prior to 1094. From then through the centuries this name changed from St. Gabriele to the Italian form Zagabria, or Croatian form Zagreb.

So in the second part of the 13th century we begin building a new church. This was during the episcopate of the bishop Timothy. From this period we still have the main apse, the north and the south apse, probably a part of the naves, and the sacristy which is completely preserved from this period. The frescoes in the sacristy are from Timothy’s period and one frescoes in the south nave of the cathedral. By the end of the 15th century the cathedral was mostly finished, the roof and most of the equipment was made of wood, therefore susceptible to fire.

But the 15th century the more and more frequent Ottoman incursions have sown
fear among the residents of Kaptol (and citizens of the neighboring Upper Town), and they decide first to fortify the city of Kaptol at the end of the 15th century and
by 1520 to fortify the cathedral. Those 16th century renaissance defense walls still stand and the north part of the walls is completely authentic from that period. The period of the Ottoman rule has changed in such a way these lands that we witnessed the consequence of these changes throughout the 20th century.

By the 18th century the cathedral has 31 altars and a magnificent Baroque pulpit from 1695. (Still in the cathedral today). Today you can still see in the cathedral
only three of the baroque altars the Last Supper and St. Luke’s altars stand one opposite the other, both closest to the main altar. And the altar of the Virgin Mary transferred from St. Stephan’s chapel into the cathedral.

Huge reconstruction works were undertaken after the earthquake in 1880. The general opinion was that Zagreb deserves a rich representative church, so the bishop Strossmayer, the greatest benefactor of Croatian arts and culture of the 19th century has prompted the idea and the project was given to the Viennese architect Friedrich Schmidt, then the most important neo-gothic architect in Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. His pupil Herman Bollé carried the works, became independent very quickly and changed the project.

European and Global context

During the period of late Croatian kingdom and the beginning of Zagreb France was governed by the House of Capet. Russia begins its history as Kievan Rus’, that’s the period of the last Croatian kings and the beginning of Zagreb.

Interestingly, during the Ottoman conquest of South-East Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, on the other side of the world in the same time the Conquista by Cortes and the conquistadors was in full swing with the siege of Mexico City that same year 1520. when Kaptol and the Zagreb cathedral were fortified for protection.

Late 15th and beginning of the 16th century when many parts of South-East Europe become Ottoman territory Russia is under the rule of Ivan III the Great ending the dominance of the Golden Horde. The same Golden Horde that passed through Croatia in the first part of the 13th century initiating the establishment of the town Gric (the Upper Town).

In France Francis I (François Ier) is king of France. And Europe sees the blossom of Renaissance art with Michelangelo, Leonardo and many Croatian renaissance authors from Dubrovnik to Zadar, as the Croatian coast was never part of the Ottoman Empire.

Let’s leave the rest of the story and the description to your visit to Zagreb and Croatia.

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Running in Zagreb

And around Zagreb

Yesterday on my walking-running routine I ran into a marathon runners. It was the Sava half-marathon run on April 4th on the banks of the Sava River. There was 718 runners registered, and it was a fantastic view of the runners running along the bank of the river. See the detail about the Sava half-marathon.

We have several interesting races in Zagreb. In September traditionally many people join the Terry Fox Run. It’s a humanitarian action to collect money for Cancer research on September 20th 2015. It will be the 10th anniversary race. Join even if you are not a runner, you can walk, roller skate or ride a bike. Terry Fox run is organized next to the Sava embankments – on the Jarun Lake.

On October 11th we have the Zagreb Marathon – run in the city, it’s a big event for all fans of running and the city center is closed to traffic. See detail on Zagreb Marathon page.

If you want to experience the Plitvice Lakes in a new way you can do it by running the Marathon around it. –> Here is the correction to the previously published dates: The Plitvice Marathon is on June 7th, check the correct page link of the Plitvice Marathon.

For all of you runners check this page for a running calendar in Croatia. Here are my highlights for those who want to mix running with the pleasure of discovering new destinations (the texts are usually simple with announcements so please use Google translate for better understanding, it’s worth it):

A Trip to Green Zagorje

Privately guided tour

Zagorje and Zagreb have strong connections, as Zagorje was the backstage of Zagreb aristocracy. Some very rich and influential, others not so rich, most of them had their estates and castles in this region. Read more about the Green Zagorje in our Blog.

The locals refer to this region as Green Zagorje, officialy it’s called Croatian Zagorje. During the tour of Zagorje we will take you through the most important destinations of this colorful region. Zagorje and Zagreb have strong connections, as Zagorje was the backstage of Zagreb aristocracy. Some very rich and influential, others not so rich, most of them had their estates and castles in this region.

Recommended itinerary:

During our tour we will visit the fancy Trakošćan, the fairytale castle of the Green Zagorje. The visit of the castle’s historical rooms and interior lasts for approximately one hour. After the visit of the castle we will take a walk around the Trakošćan Lake surrounded by the dark forest.

We then continue to Krapina to visit the Krapine Neanderthal Museum. The little town of Krapina is the regional center famous for the findings of human remains from the Stone Age, 125 000 years ago. But the museum is immensely popular because of its special way to present the human evolution.

After driving up and down the Zagorje hills we will stop for lunch in one of the regional inns. The Basic tour for a group of up to 8 people doesn’t have the lunch included in the price in order to have more freedom in choosing the right local meal. With our suggestions and recommendations of course. The prices can vary from 10 eur to 20 eur or more depending on your choice.

After lunch we will make a visit of Veliki Tabor, the most beautiful castle in Croatia. The interior is as much beautiful as the exterior.

The itinerary takes us then through the colorful hills towards Kumrovec. Tito, the man who symbolized the socialist ex-Yugoslavia and the global non-aligned bloc spent his childhood in this picturesque region. In this ethno village (the visit is optional) you will also see how the peasants of Zagorje lived during historical times, before the big leap in the development of society in the 20th century.

The one day trip to Zagorje ends here. We will drive you back to your accommodation in Zagreb late in the afternoon.

NOTICE: if you have a problem while driving up and down the hills and on serpentines, you should consider taking a medication before the trip.

MODIFICATION:

The itinerary suggested includes what we consider to be top attractions of Zagorje, not to be missed if you have decided to visit the region. But the itinerary can be modified according to your timetable. The price can vary whether we take a car or a van, so if you are just 2 or 3 people and a car is enough comfortable, please contact us for a price.

This one day trip can easily be turned into a two to three day tour. Please contact us for details if that would be your choice.

PRICES : on request.

The price of the tour depends on the number of people, available vehicles, drivers, guides and additional services.

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By paying to the agency Netragom the sum mentioned in our detailed offer that you receive upon request, you recognize you have read and accepted the General terms and conditions and the Cancellation policy that we send to every customer during the booking process. We strongly recommend to take a full coverage of your travel through a Travel Insurance Package. Contact us if interested in booking with us.